There has never been a time I can remember when I didn’t have an image of “La Virgen de Guadalupe” within 30 feet of me. Almost every room in our house has some image of her, where it be a small print with “la Magnificat” on the reverse side or a miniature statue of her. At one point we even had a small shrine/altar dedicated to her on our front lawn. My dad built a small room, about 5 feet by 5 feet, with a life-size statue of her. Even year we decorate her shrine on the 12th of December, sing “las Mañanitas” and pray the rosary in front of her. It become a yearly event for our neighborhood, something to look forward to as a kid since we would usually serve hot chocolate at the end of the night to celebrate.
Years later, I am no longer as religious as I was growing up due to personal reasons, but I still find myself gravitating back towards her. I still have the postcard that my mom gave me of her, under my pillow, so that I may feel safe and protected. She is like a motherly figure, someone I pray and talk to when times get rough or I feel scared and want to feel protected. A couple of weeks ago I was camping in the Alps of Switzerland, and I was scared. I couldn’t call my mom since there was no service on the mountain. I did however have the postcard my mom gave me of “la Virgen”, so I flipped the card around and prayed “La Magnificat” until I felt safe again and finally went to bed. Truthfully, I don’t think she will be leaving my side anytime soon. Even though I am no longer religious, I will keep images of her and talk to her when I need someone to talk to.
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